Augusta's fairways to present challenge

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - In the weeks leading to the Masters, there was talk that the rough at Augusta National was on steroids. That's only partially true.

The grass isn't taller, but it is growing sideways. And there's a lot of it.

Miguel Angel Jimenez found that out Monday morning when his tee shot on the 485-yard 10th hole drifted along the right side, landed in the rough and appeared to slam on the brakes before it could reach the massive slope.

The penalty? About 50 yards in length, and a lot more club than he would have preferred for his second shot.

Tom Lehman hit what he thought was a good drive on the first hole, only to find it 7 yards into the peach fuzz.

"That was a huge eye-opener," he said. "There is a premium on driving the ball now."

Players used to see nothing but fairway off the tee. Now, they have to squint their eyes in search of the short grass.

"It's very narrow," said two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer. "It used to be from tree to tree. Now, it's definitely less than half of what it used to be on some holes."

Augusta National is still a bomber's course, but it's nothing like what Langer remembers from the first time he won in 1985, or even his second Masters victory in 1993. Or even last year.

The rough is still a mere 1 3/8 inches, not to be confused with the shaggy grass in a U.S. Open. Still, it can be just as penalizing considering the slopes on the firm greens.

Butch Harmon, the swing coach for Tiger Woods whose father won the 1948 Masters, played 36 holes on Sunday and found the rough is just thin enough to cause the ball to nestle into the grass. That means it will be difficult for players to control the spin of their shots into the green.

And control is everything at Augusta.

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a premium on driving accuracy," Harmon said. "It doesn't let you freewheel it like you used to. You have to pay attention."

Augusta is always tweaking the course. Some of the most significant changes came last year, when the tee boxes on the par-5 second and par-4 17th holes were pushed back some 25 yards and the rough was introduced.

The biggest alteration this year appears to be the fairways, or what little is left of them. And true with any change, not everyone likes it.

"I always thought of this as a very special event because there was no rough," Langer said. "Obviously, I see why they're doing it, I can understand it. It just now looks like the golf courses we play week after week."

Lehman was more diplomatic.

"I'm not saying I don't like it," he said. "It just different ... un-Augusta."

Of course, Woods and other long hitters won't be as fazed by the narrow fairways as some others because they'll have an 8-iron instead of a 5-iron in their hands. If this is Augusta National's idea of "Tiger-proofing" the course, it may have an opposite effect.

"I think everybody tries to combat what Tiger does with more length," said Hal Sutton, who beat Woods in The Players Championship last week. "The more you do that, the more you eliminate the rest of the guys. You play right into his hands. I don't know if they were trying to `Tigerfy' it, but I'm not sure that's the way to do it."

Woods, who has been pointing to the Masters since the start of the year, spent last week working on his chipping and putting at home in Florida and was due to arrive Monday afternoon.

Despite the changes, Harmon liked the way Augusta sets up for him.

"This helps Tiger because he's the best driver in the business," Harmon said, a tribute to Woods' accuracy and length off the tee.

But one thing will never change - the green jacket usually is won around the greens.

Even with the rough last year, Jose Maria Olazabal won with his magical short game. Mark O'Meara was silky with the putter in 1998. Woods made just about every putt he look at it when he won with a record 270 in 1997.

Harmon said he doesn't recall the greens ever being this fast and firm so early in the week, which could make it even more difficult as the weekend nears. The forecast was for rain overnight and early today but dry and sunny the rest of the week.

That's why he called Woods on Sunday. He told him the greens at Isleworth - the course in Orlando, Fla., where Woods has spent so many hours refining his swing - were not up to speed.